Broadcasting notes: Rizzo will leave Fox 8 at end of year

Sports anchor Tony Rizzo said he is leaving Fox 8 at the end of the year.

He will still remain with the station for its "Friday Night Touchdown" football show.

Rizzo, 49, was named sports anchor at WJW in 1997. He said he's been at the station for 15 years.

He will remain on the radio with WKNR-AM 850 as host of "The Really Big Show" in the mornings. In fact, his responsibilities might increase at the radio station once he leaves television.

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One rumored candidate for Rizzo's WJW position is Chuck Galeti, formerly at WKYC and WOIO.

Dish Network, Fox agree

Dish Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of Dish Network Corporation, and Fox Networks, an operating unit of News Corporation, announced a wide-ranging distribution agreement to provide the third-largest video distributor in the U.S. with continued access to programming from Fox Broadcasting and Fox local television stations in major cities.

The agreement also included carriage of FX, National Geographic Channel, and Fox's 19 regional sports networks.

On Fox Sports Ohio, Dish customers will now be able to watch almost 180 NBA, NHL and college basketball games, including the Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Xavier and the University of Cincinnati.

"After prolonged negotiations to reach a fair deal, we're pleased to enter into a long-term agreement with Fox and to assure our customers that they can continue to enjoy these channels," said Dave Shull, senior vice president of programming for Dish Network. "We thank our customers, our retail and channel partners, and our employees for their support through these negotiations, which we believe resulted in a fair deal that reinforces Dish Network's position as the best value in television."